The main subject of this article is pressure compensation in a multi-section proportional directional control valve. The undertaken compensation task was carried out without the use of neither additional compensating valves nor other correcting elements, such as sensors in a feedback control system. The proposed method consists in the appropriate adjustment of forces acting on the valve spool. It requires knowledge of the electromagnet force characteristics and the appropriately matched stiffness and initial tension of the valve spring. In order to achieve the assumed objective, a number of CFD simulations was performed on a 3-D fluid model. The CFD analysis allowed determination of the values of flow resistance through the valve and the axial component of the flow force acting on the spool. The values calculated for various spool positions and flow velocities were approximated using analytical equations. Next, the mathematical model was built and simulations in Matlab/Simulink system were carried out. In the first stage of the research, flow characteristics of a single valve section were determined. The obtained results were then verified on the test bench. In the second stage, the simulation model was used to examine the possibility of pressure compensation in a three-section control valve. In this case, the individual valve sections were loaded unevenly by applying pressure in a wide range of values. It has been demonstrated, that the appropriate shaping of the spool geometry allows usage of the flow forces for pressure compensation in multi-section proportional directional control valves. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.